ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology is an emerging interdisciplinary technology that has prospered in materials science, mechanics, electronics, and aerospace in the past decade. Its profound societal impact has been considered a huge advance, ushering humanity into a more enlightened era.1-3
The fundamentals of nanotechnology lie in the fact that properties of substances dramatically change when their size is reduced to the nanometer range. When a bulk material is divided into small size particles with one or more dimensions (length, width, or thickness) in the nanometer range, or even smaller, the individual particles exhibit unexpected properties different from those of the bulk material. It is known that atoms and molecules possess totally different behaviors than those of bulk materials: while the properties of the former are described by quantum mechanics, the properties of the latter are governed by classical mechanics. Between these two distinct domains, the nanometer range is a murky threshold for the transition of a material’s behavior. For example, ceramics, which are normally brittle, can easily be made deformable when their grain size is reduced to the low-nanometer range. A gold particle with 1 nm diameter shows red color. Moreover, a small amount of nanosized species can interface with a matrix polymer that is usually
CONTENTS
18.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................345 18.2 Antimicrobial Agents ......................................................................................................346
